Or are they? Bob Dylan aside, it would seem that the past year has brought Web 2.0 to the HR desktop quickly and effectively. The problem is that this Web 2.0 seems to exist primarily in the best of breed space. Sure, there might be a few standouts like Workday, and while the major ERP vendors might have little tidbits of Web 2.0-like code in their applications, the real re-thinking of design and process and the advances in usability are all in the non-core HR space.
Over time and through many engagements we’ve identified a spectrum of possibilities that improve in varying ways the business results that ERP supports, depending on a given company’s appetite for change and customizations. It’s not about user-centric design, although that’s a key component. It’s about tasks and goals and how people get through complex, lengthy processes. It’s about how the systems support the strategic goals of a company. Sorry to say, no system delivers that out of the box.
I’m not sure whether folks can cope with widgets floating around their computer desktops, monitoring data, work lists, or enabling faster/simpler transactions. But in general people prefer use-specific interfaces and devices over multipurpose ones. I commonly use the kitchen as a case in point. Your own kitchen probably has a range/oven, a microwave and some form of toaster-oven. 3 devices, all specialized interfaces for making food hot in a chamber.
Certainly I admit that the user interface and experience for the end user manager was more important to redesign than for the HR practitioner. I say this because the HR practitioner has no choice. The manager adoption on the other hand is a critical success factor for many of our talent and other processes. However, it seems to me that it is time or past time to reinvent the core HR application.
I’m thinking that part of this reinvention has also got to be focused on better integration. Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) just isn’t working to people’s expectations yet. I have yet to talk to someone who is completely unconcerned with data integration throughout their entire suite of products. But I think that as vendors re-vision the user interface and “widgetize” them, those core technologies that are built on real time transactions will better adapt to data from third party software. SOA is a great story, but I somehow feel that it needs to be helped along with much better application technology as well.
Yes, something is happening and times are changing before our very eyes. But I do agree with Systematic Viewpoints, the change might continue to happen for quite some time.
5 responses to “The Times They Are A-Changing”
Bena Robertswrote an interesting post today on Here’s a quick excerpt But I think that as vendors re-vision the user interface and “widgetize” them, those core technologies that are built on real time transactions will better adapt to data from third party
Bena Robertswrote an interesting post today on Here’s a quick excerpt But I think that as vendors re-vision the user interface and “widgetize” them, those core technologies that are built on real time transactions will better adapt to data from third party
The Times They Are A-ChangingWell, maybe not List Metrics; how to measure quality in a list? Donato loves Maureen Yahoo Buzz is a Game Changer for Social Media; And Spells Trouble for Digg! Google Makes DoubleClick Employees Apply To Keep Their Jobs
There is still too much fragmentation in the marketplace for any kind of standardised integration to occur. Maybe widgets are the best way to present the integration, but most vendors aren’t even close to the back-end integration yet, let alone the user interface.
Another consideration when thinking about the widgetized interface is loss of context. Some reporting and data elements can stand on their own but the more common need is to modify out-of-the-box processes to an organization’s desired or de facto processes.
I spend a great deal of time advising clients to present assets in a contextualized environment, for example surrounding transactions with the associated instructions and ancillary data needed to complete the action. Care is needed to avoid isolating elements to the point of making them unusable.